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Sectorial mutagenesis by transposable elements

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Abstract

Transposable elements (TEs) generate insertions and cause other mutations in the genomic DNA. It is proposed that during co-evolution between TEs and eukaryotic genomes, an optimal path of the insertion mutagenesis is determined by the surviving TEs. These TEs can become semi-permanently established, chromatin-regulated ‘source’ or ‘mutator genes’, responsible for targeting insertion mutations to specific chromosomal regions. Such mutations can manifest themselves in non-random distribution patterns of interspersed repeats in eukaryotic chromosomes. In this paper we discuss specific models, examples and implications of optimized mutagenesis in eukaryotes.

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  1. Genetic Information Research Institute, 1170 Morse Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA, 94089-1605, USA

    Jerzy Jurka & Vladimir V. Kapitonov

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  1. Jerzy Jurka
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Jurka, J., Kapitonov, V.V. Sectorial mutagenesis by transposable elements. Genetica 107, 239–248 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003989620068

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